Donald S. Siegel

Assessing the Role of the Federal Government in the Development of New Products, Industries, and Companies examines the role of the federal government in the development of major innovations. This is done in a purely descriptive manner, specifically identifying and describing major products, industries, and firms resulting from U. S. government funding of research in the years since World War II (WWII). It is well known that during WWII and the famous 'Manhattan Project,' the Los Alamos and Oak Ridge National Laboratories played a key role in the development of the atom bomb and nuclear energy. What is less well known is the role of the federal and national labs in the development of such key technologies as radar, lithium-ion batteries, and computers. The evidence clearly shows that these investments in military and space R&D ultimately had numerous significant commercial applications. This monograph is organized as follows. First, it outlines a strategy for identifying major products, industries, and companies resulting from government funding in the years since WWII, requiring the authors to define the concept of a general purpose technology (GPT). They conclude with a description of 40 innovations that have had a major impact on our economy and society. The description of these innovations contains fairly-detailed explanations of how these products were developed and how they made their way from lab to market. The outcomes of these federal investments in technology are quite impressive, both in terms of their economic and social impacts.

Science and technology have long been regarded as important determinants of economic growth. Edwin Mansfield (1971, pp. 1- 2), a pioneer in the economics of technological change, noted: Technological change is an important, if not the most important, factor responsible for economic growth . . . without question, [it] is one of the most important determinants of the shape and evolution of the American economy. Science and technology are even more important in the "new economy," with its greater emphasis on the role of intellectual property and knowledge transfer. Therefore, it is unfortunate that most individuals rarely have the opportunity to explore the economic implications of science and technology. As a result, the antecedents and consequences of technological change are poorly understood by many in the general public. This lack of understanding is reflected in a recent survey conducted by the National Science Board (2000), summarized in Science & Engineering Indicators. ' As shown in Table 1. 1, the findings of the survey indicated that many Americans, despite a high level of interests in such matters, are not as well-informed about technological issues as they are about other policy issues. As shown in the table, individuals self assess, based on a scale from 1 to 100, their interest in science and technology policy issues as being relatively high, yet they self assess their knowledge or informedness about these issues relatively lower.

This book presents a reader-friendly analysis and synthesis of the key approaches in economics and management approaches to innovation, entrepreneurship, and technological change. Link and Siegel provide precise definitions of key concepts, present numerous historical examples to illustrate these concepts, outline a framework for analyzing key topics, compare and contrast different theoretical frameworks, provide a reader-friendly interpretation of quantitative and qualitative findings, and emphasize international comparisons of innovation infrastructure and technology policy. Key topics covered include: · basic concepts of innovation and technological change, · a history of the role of the entrepreneur in innovation, · the impact of innovation and information technology on performance, · the analysis of technological spillovers, · innovation in the service sector, · university technology commercialization and entrepreneurship, including property-based institutions such as research parks and incubators, · entrepreneurship in the public sector, · the first systematic analysis and synthesis of the new interdisciplinary literature on technology commercialization and entrepreneurship at universities. While the book reflects the complexities of debate around these topics, it will be an important guide to the area for academics, graduate, and advanced undergraduate students of Business Studies, Economics, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation Studies. The book also provides a roadmap of specific recommendations for managers and policymakers.

This book presents a reader-friendly analysis and synthesis of the key economic and management approaches to innovation, entrepreneurship, and technological change. Link and Siegel provide precise definitions of key concepts, present numerous historical examples to illustrate these concepts, outline a framework for analyzing key topics, compare and contrast different theoretical frameworks, provide a reader-friendly interpretation of quantitative and qualitative findings, and emphasize international comparisons of innovation infrastructure and technology policy. Key topics covered include: · basic concepts of innovation and technological change, · a history of the role of the entrepreneur in innovation, · the impact of innovation and information technology on performance, · the analysis of technological spillovers, · innovation in the service sector, · university technology commercialization and entrepreneurship, including property-based institutions such as research parks and incubators, · entrepreneurship in the public sector, · the first systematic analysis and synthesis of the new interdisciplinary literature on technology commercialization and entrepreneurship at universities. While the book reflects the complexities of debate around these topics, it will be an important guide to the area for academics, graduate, and advanced undergraduate students of Business Studies, Economics, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation Studies. The book also provides a roadmap of specific recommendations for managers and policymakers.

Science and technology have long been regarded as important determinants of economic growth. Edwin Mansfield (1971, pp. 1- 2), a pioneer in the economics of technological change, noted: Technological change is an important, if not the most important, factor responsible for economic growth . . . without question, [it] is one of the most important determinants of the shape and evolution of the American economy. Science and technology are even more important in the "new economy," with its greater emphasis on the role of intellectual property and knowledge transfer. Therefore, it is unfortunate that most individuals rarely have the opportunity to explore the economic implications of science and technology. As a result, the antecedents and consequences of technological change are poorly understood by many in the general public. This lack of understanding is reflected in a recent survey conducted by the National Science Board (2000), summarized in Science & Engineering Indicators. ' As shown in Table 1. 1, the findings of the survey indicated that many Americans, despite a high level of interests in such matters, are not as well-informed about technological issues as they are about other policy issues. As shown in the table, individuals self assess, based on a scale from 1 to 100, their interest in science and technology policy issues as being relatively high, yet they self assess their knowledge or informedness about these issues relatively lower.